Kicking practice tether



1979 M. D. BELLAGAMBA ET AL 3,525,523

KICKING PRACTICE TETHER Filed March 25, 1968 08 MM L L E B D O m M ALL 18 EDWARDIQULMER, 5 BY ATTORNEYS V United States Patent 01 Elice 3,525,523 Patented Aug. 25, 1970 3,525,523 KICKING PRACTICE TETHER Miro D. Bellagamba, 1337 Voll Road 45230, and Edward R. Ulmer, 5940 Beechtop Lane 45238, both of Cincinnati, Ohio Filed Mar. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 715,705 Int. Cl. A63b 67/00 US. Cl. 273-55 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Elastic tether of substantial length having spring clip means at one end for attaching to the laces of a ball and being pivotally connected to a bridle at the other end, the bridle being an elastic member substantially shorter than the elastic tether and being provided with hooks at the ends thereof for removably attaching same to a pair of spaced apart anchor means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a tether designed to facilitate individual kicking practice for football, soccer and related games.

It of course goes without saying that kicking is a most important aspect of certain games, such as football and soccer, but it has long been realized that individual kicking practice is somewhat undesirable. Obviously, after each kick the individual must retrieve the ball. This requires a substantial expenditure of time and energy and clearly prevents maximum concentration on the art and technique of kicking alone.

Using two people for kicking practice does solve the retrieval problem in part, but in any given time period, each participant is able to utilize only one half the time for his own practice.

Use of an entire team or plurality of people for practice is of course necessary to coordinate a team effort. However, such practice does not truly permit concentration on the art and technique of kicking, and to the extent that it requires participation of the entire team, prevents those not directly involved in kicking from practicing other techniques.

Finally, kicking practice in any of the forms noted above requires considerable space. While this is no problem in suitable weather conditions where practice is done outdoors, it has generally been considered impossible to get suitable kicking practice indoors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention contemplates an elastic tether of substantial length, one end of which includes spring clip means for securing the tether to the laces of a ball. The other end of the tether is pivotally secured to the central portion of a bridle member, which in turn is secured at its ends to a pair of spaced apart anchor means.

The anchor itself can vary in design. According to one embodiment of the invention, the anchors comprise a pair of posts or supports suitably driven into the ground. In the case of an indoor practice tether, the anchors may comprise a pair of suitably weighted members, or can be provided with fixtures for securing them to the floor anchors commonly found in a gymnasium.

Keeping the foregoing comments in mind, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a kicking tether which will facilitate individual kicking practice. In other words, to provide a kicking tether so designed that an individual, by himself, can direct his full concentration to the perfection of the art and techniques of kicking.

A further object of the invention is to provide a kicking tether which will increase the efiiciency of kicking practice.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a kicking tether which can be utilized in a relatively small area, such as, for example, a residential backyard or even indoors.

A further object of the invention is to provide a kicking tether which is readily and inexpensively manufactured.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a kicking tether which is sturdy in construction and de signed to give long service to the user.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a kicking tether which can be used with any of the common balls having laces.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the kicking tether of this invention as attached to a football.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of one of the anchors for the tether.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view showing the anchor of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view with parts broken away showing the preferred construction of the bridle and the spring clip for attaching the tether to the laces of a ball.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning first to FIG. 1, the invention will be described in more detail. The tether of the invention is indicated generally at 10, and it will be observed that one end is attached to the football indicated generally at 12. The opposite end of the tether 10 is pivotally attached to the central portion of the bridle indicated generally at 14. The free ends of the bridle 14 are adapted to be removably connected to the spaced apart anchors indicated generally at 16.

The tether 10 itself will preferably comprise an elongate, elastic member. Experiments have shown that a material known as shock cord is entirely satisfactory. This material, generally considered, includes a core having a plurality of elastic strands covered by a woven, clothlike material.

The length of the tether should be sufiicient to permit observation of the flight of the ball after kicking. For most purposes, a length of approximately ten feet has been found satisfactory.

As best seen in FIG. 4, one end of the tether is provided with the spring clip 18. The clip 18 will preferably be of a reverse acting design, so that pressure on the sides of the clip will cause the jaws to open. It will also be noted that the jaws 18a and 18b of the clip overlap a slight amount, so that in the normally closed position, the forces exerted when the ball is kicked will prevent the clip from becoming unfastened.

It will of course be observed that the ball is provided with the conventional laces indicated at 20. In the embodiment shown, the jaws 18a and 18b of the clip 18 are shown engaged on the cross lace 20a which is near one end of the laces. Practice with this device has disclosed that attaching the tether to one end of the laces clearly gives more satisfactory results. Of course, it will be recognized that the clip 18 could be fastened to the longitudinal portion 20b of the laces adjacent one end of the laces to achieve the same results.

The clip 18 can be attached to one end of the tether 10 in any suitable fashion. In the drawings, it will be seen that one end of the tether is wrapped around the loop of the clip and fastened with the clamp 22.

The bridle 14 is also shown in more detail in FIG. 4. It comprises generally an elastic member having at each 3 end the hook 24 by means of which it can be removably attached to the anchors to be described. Preferably, the bridle 14 will be of shock cord and may be somewhat heavier in diameter than the tether 10. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the tether will be inch in diameter, while the bridle 14 may be inch in diameter. The length of the bridle 14 will generally be on the order of A: of the length of tether 10.

As indicated earlier, the tether 10 must be secured to the central portion of the bridle 14 in such a way that it'can pivot freely. As shown in FIG. 4, this is a accomplished by means of the sleeve 26 which is freely rotatable about the tether 14, and constrained to its central location by the collars 28. The tether 10 is secured to the sleeve by simply wrapping it around the sleeve and securely clamping it with the clamp 30.

The anchors indicated generally at 16 in FIG. 1 are shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. These anchors each comprise a vertical central post 32, having the pointed end 32a. In the embodiment shown, the post 32 is simply a hollow tube with the point being formed by cutting the end of the tube at an acute angle.

Suitably secured a short distance below the upper end of the post 32 are the three support legs 34, 36 and 38. It will be observed that the legs 34, 36 and 38 all extend angularly outward from the upper end of the central post,

and are of a length approximately equal to half the length of the central post. Once again, the support legs may desirably be hollow tubes which are welded to the upper end of the post 32.

As seen in top plan view, the legs 34 and 36 are coplanar with the central post 32, while leg 38 is normal to that plane.

Adjacent the uppermost end of the central post 32 is the eye-bolt 40, which provides means for releasably securing the hooks 24 on opposite ends of the bridle 14. p In utilization of this invention, the apparatus is set up as shown in perspective in FIG. 1. That is, the anchors 16 are driven into the ground a short distance apart with the support legs 38 extending toward each other. The bridle 14 is hooked in place. It should be noted at this time that the spacing between the anchors 16 is close enough that the bridle 14 is not under tension, and may rest freely on the ground. The clip 18 on the end of the tether 10 is fastened to the laces of a ball 12. The individual desiring kicking practice may then stand in a position normal to a line between the anchor 16, but not far enough away from them that the tether 10 is under tension. Upon kicking the ball, the combined length and elasticity of the tether and bridle will permit observation of the initial flight of the ball. It is then returned by means of the elasticity of the tether and bridle to the kicker.

While the invention has been described in terms of a specific embodiment, it will be understood that no limitations are intended. For example, the anchors 16 illustrated are of a heavy design, suitable for extended practice by adults. In the case of a unit designed for kicking practice for children, the anchors might desirably include only a 4 vertical post, perhaps configured with a screw portion for securing into the ground. Obviously, if the device is to be used indoors, the anchors will be of a design which can easily be anchored to the floor of a gymnasium or the like.

Accordingly, no limitations are to be inferred or implied except insofar as set forth in the claims which follow. 5

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A kicking practice tether for use with a ball having laces and comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced apart anchor means; (b) a first elastic member extending between said spaced apart anchor means, said member being of a length relative to the distance between said anchor means and the height of said anchor means such that said elastic member is not under tension and rests freely on the ground; (c) swivel means centrally carried by said first elastic member; v

(d) a second elastic member, one end of said second member being secured to said swivel means, said second elastic member being substantially longer than said first elastic member; and

(e) means for releasably securing the other end of said second elastic member to said laces of a ball.

2. The tether claimed in claim 1 wherein said swivel means comprises a sleeve freely rotatable about said first elastic member.

3. The tether claimed in claim 2 including means to constrain said sleeve at substantially the center of said first elastic member.

4. The tether claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for releasably securing the other end of said second elastic member to said laces of a ball comprises a spring biased clip having overlapping jaws.

5. The tether claimed in claim 1 wherein the length of said first elastic member is on the order of /2 the length of said second elastic member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 155,235 9/1874 Goldsmith 24815 6 1,655,599 l/l928 Dolan. 2,653,688 9/1953 Gordon 248156 2,680,022 6/ 1954 Walden 273-95.l X 2,772,882 12/1956 Anson 27329.1 X 3,042,401 7/1962 Denegre 27395.1 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 297,660 9/1928 England.

ANTON 0. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner T. BROWN, Assistant Examiner 

